It’s official, hockey fans: Daniel and Henrik Sedin will retire at the end of the 2017-18 NHL season.
After much speculation, Vancouver Canucks legends Daniel and Henrik Sedin have announced their plans to retire at the end of the regular season.
The move is reflective of a more general trend that has enveloped much of the Sedins’ careers. In announcing their retirement, the twins seek to put both their families and the Canucks organization above any personal desire to occupy the talk circuit of hockey circles.
The pair made the news public by penning a “thank you” letter to fans of the Canucks. They touched on a wide range of issues — the most pertinent of which being the importance of recognizing that the time is right to move on:
"Being part of the Canucks family for 18 seasons has been the best period of our lives. But it’s time to focus on our families and life after hockey. It’s time to help with homework every night. It’s time to be at every birthday party and to stand in the cold at every hockey rink, soccer game and riding lesson on weekends. It’s time to be at home for dinner every night."
Although they will retire without a Stanley Cup, one cannot underestimate the value of the twins to the Canucks organization.
The Sedins have served as the face of the franchise since being drafted in 1999 — a period of time in which the success of the pair has been central to the more general success of the team. The closest that they came to capturing Lord Stanley’s trophy was in 2011, when the twins led the Canucks to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. The team put up a heck of a fight, but eventually fell to the Boston Bruins in seven games.
They have also enjoyed an immense degree of personal success. Most notably, Henrik captured both the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy in 2010 and serves as the team’s all-time leader in points (1,068), assists (828) and games played (1,327). Daniel took home the 2011 Art Ross Trophy and is Vancouver’s all-time leader in goals (391).
The retirement of the Sedins is a definite sign that the Canucks’ rebuild has been fully set into motion. The absence of the two most notable faces of Vancouver’s “old guard” shall surely cement Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat into place as the new faces of the organization. It will also ensure that some of the team’s prospects take on major roster spots in the years to come.
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For now, let’s enjoy the last three games in which we can watch hockey’s most prominent twins. The Sedins’ careers are not only unforgettable because of the unique space that they occupy in the hockey world, but also due to the countless memories that they have ushered forward.
As any Canucks fan will tell you: they came, they saw, they conquered — but always together.
From all of us, #ThankYouSedins.